Friends of the Boulder Junction Public Library’s Neighbor to Neighbor Presentation:“Gardening for Pollinators”

May 23 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Mariquita (Quita) Sheehan, Conservation Specialist with the Vilas County Land & Water Conservation Department, will be the next guest of the Boulder Junction Public Library’s Neighbor to Neighbor Program Series on Thursday, May 23, 7 p.m., at the Boulder Junction Community Center, 5392 Park St. Her presentation will be “Gardening for Pollinators: Why We Need to Help Pollinators and How We Can.”

Without the actions of pollinators, agricultural economies, our food supply, and the ecosystems we live in would collapse. Birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and other small mammals that pollinate plants are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. They also sustain our ecosystems and produce our natural resources by helping plants reproduce.

This nearly invisible ecosystem service is a precious resource that requires attention and support – – and in disturbing evidence found around the globe, is increasingly in jeopardy. Somewhere between 75% and 95% of all flowering plants on the earth need help with pollination – they need pollinators. In addition to the food that we eat, pollinators support healthy ecosystems that clean the air, stabilize soils, protect from severe weather, and support other wildlife.

Unfortunately, many pollinator populations are in decline due to a loss in feeding and nesting habitats as well as pollution, the misuse of chemicals, disease, and changes in climatic patterns.

If everyone – home owners, local governments, national governments, and private industry – made room for pollinators on their lands we could change the future for pollinators and secure our own. Research has shown that local native pollinators prefer local native plants. By making sure to plant a majority of native species in our home gardens, corporate landscapes, highway rights of ways, farms, schools, and on public spaces we can help pollinators maintain healthy ecosystems for us. Sheehan will explain who our pollinators are and how to make sure our habitats are supporting them.

Quita Sheehan is a Conservation Specialist with the Vilas County Land and Water Conservation Department. Since 2010, Quita has been providing technical assistance to the public on water quality protection methods, including the design and installation of shoreland restoration projects. She works with Land Owners, Lake Organizations, and other groups to take care of the waters, wetlands, and uplands of Vilas County. By training, Quita is a plant ecologist, and loves to explore and share with others, our native plants and eco-systems, native gardening, and how they all work together. She is also happy to identify plants for people or just look at pictures that anyone wants to share!

This presentation is part of the Friends of the Boulder Junction Public Library’s free monthly NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR program series. All members of the public are welcome to attend, and refreshments will be served. For more information, please call the library at 715-385-2050.